Time's Passage
by Edlyn
Summary: UPDATED. Post-WotR, AU. The lives of the hobbits continue, but they want to see their friends again. Constructive criticism welcomed.
1. Chapter 1

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Author's Notes

I wrote this purely out of speculation and for my own (and hopefully other's) enjoyment. All characters, settings and situations (ie, the birth of Faramir itself) belong only to Tolkien's estate. This is simply my own take on what might have happened. But you knew all of that already.

Flame it, really, I don't care, waste your time. I do appreciate constructive criticism, though, so feel free to point out anything you think needs improvement and enjoy!

Merry had just settled in for another night in front of the fire in Brandy Hall with his pipe when he became aware of a commotion outside. Someone knocked on his door and he opened it, surprised to see Elanor Gamgee, Sam's oldest child. It soon became apparent that she had run all the way to his home, presumably from Bag End.

"Uncle Merry!" she said with relief, gasping for breath.

"What is it, child?" he asked, concerned, as he led her into the house. "Is something wrong?"

"Papa sent me," Elanor explained. "Uncle Pippin and Auntie Diamond came to visit for supper, and- and Auntie…" she trailed off.

Merry's eyes went wide. Diamond, Pippin's wife of almost four years, was very pregnant with their first child. "Is something happened to Auntie, Elanor? Has the baby come?"

Elanor shook her head helplessly, near tears. "No, it hasn't come, Uncle. Papa told me to run here and tell you Auntie is in trouble, and that you need to come _quick_."

Merry nodded, knowing he could tarry no longer. It was the baby, he knew straightaway, and from what little Elanor knew he deducted that both it and Diamond were in trouble. And so, sweeping Elanor into his arms, he went the short distance to Bag End, running on the familiar paths. When he arrived, he saw the door was ajar, and the first things he heard were Diamond's anguished cries.

"Pippin?" he shouted, setting Elanor down and rushing into the house. "Pip! Sam!"

"Merry!" he finally heard, and Pippin came running into the hall. He looked as young as he had when he was a child and twice as vulnerable. Merry was stricken by it, and suddenly things were as they had been before the quest. His only task was to protect Pippin, no matter what that entailed. 

"Merry?" He was shaken from these thoughts by his cousin, sounding horribly young and afraid.

"Is she all right, Pip?" he asked, taking Pippin by the shoulders.

"Oh, Merry, it's awful," Pippin said in a near whisper. "There's blood everywhere, though it's stopped now, and Rosie's looking after her for a bit. I thought we'd send for you, Estella being a healer an' all that. Thought maybe you'd picked up a few things. And, well-" suddenly his voice was small again, "I need you here, Merry; in case she- in case something…" he trailed off and looked away, shutting his eyes against his tears.

Merry pulled him into a tight hug and Pippin's tears let out onto his shoulder. "Nothing is going to happen to either of them, Pip," he whispered into his cousin's ear. "I don't know what help I'll be, but we're going to go in there and deliver your firstborn to you, a healthy, beautiful baby. Diamond is strong." But as he said this another scream tore through the air, and before he knew what was happening he and Pippin were running to the back of the house. 

The scene reminded him forcibly of one of the reasons he and Estella had chosen to remain childless. Bloodied rags lay everywhere. Rose was on one side of Diamond, applying cool cloths to her forehead. Sam flanked the other side, holding her hand and looking absolutely terrified. Merry thought it a small wonder that he had done this for five of his own children already. 

Taking in the mess and confusion, the thought suddenly struck Merry that they all were depending on him to bring Diamond and the child into safety. He wanted to see his wife now, it seemed, more than ever, and thought it horribly unfortunate that she had picked this particular week to visit her sister in Bree. She was a renowned healer, and Merry felt sure she could have handled the situation with ease. But now his friends were depending on only him. He tried frantically to remember anything she had told him, or anything he had seen her do, but his mind was blank. 

"Merry!" Sam rose and strode over to him, Pippin quickly taking his place next to his wife and taking her hand. "It's been like this for an hour or more. We didn't know what to do, and Pippin needed you here, so…"

Merry nodded, knowing now what needed to be done. "How soon do you think you'd be able to get to Bree by horse, Sam?"

Sam shrugged. "An hour, as the crow flies."

"And fly you must! Estella's there, visiting family. She's staying at the Prancing Pony. I know a few things, Sam, enough o keep Diamond well until you return. But my wife will know exactly what to do to deliver the child safely. Go now!" Sam nodded, rushing out the room, and Merry turned again to face the scene.

It was the longest two hours of Merry's life. He blundered through his movements; doing everything he could to ease Diamond's pain. Though by the time Estella arrived, it seemed, she was the one comforting him and Pippin in particular. 

The door crashed open and Merry looked up to see his wife, thinking, in his relief, she had never looked more beautiful. He strode to her but, except for a small glance and a shadow of a smile, she ignored him. "Take him out of here," she said to him once she had settled in and was prepared to deliver the child, indicating towards Pippin. Merry obliged, despite Pippin's protests.

"I want to be in there! I want to see the baby!" He was almost shouting as Merry and Sam lead him calmly away from the room. 

"Shush, Pippin!" Merry finally said. "You may be future Thain, but I _forbid _you to enter that room!" 

Pippin glared at his cousin, who glared right back, equally resolved. Sam, growing uncomfortable with the tension, muttered something about checking on his children and left the room. Immediately Pippin began to rise as well. "Sit down," Merry said gravely and Pippin, surprised by his tone, immediately obliged, and Merry immediately softened. "Pip, let Estella and Rose handle it. From the sounds of it, Diamond is no longer in pain. Your child will be here soon."

Pippin sighed. "You're right, I suppose. I was just… so scared when she started bleeding, I didn't know what to do, it wouldn't stop-" he broke off abruptly, holding back more tears. "What would I do, Merry, if I lost her and my child?"

"You will _never _have to think about that," Merry replied emphatically. 

Pippin managed a small smile at him. "I know. I know. I just- oh, the wait is unbearable!"

For approximately the next hour, Merry, Pippin, and Sam passed the time chatting and smoking, though his two friends could tell Pippin's mind was elsewhere, with his wife. Finally, though, Estella appeared at the door, looking exhausted and happy. "You have a son, Peregrin Took!" she announced loudly, beaming. "A beautiful, healthy boy!"

Pippin leaped up. "A boy?" Estella nodded. "A boy!" He ran to her and hugged her, catching her off guard and almost knocking her over, but she just laughed. He then ran to both Sam and Merry, hugging them both in turn, nearly cutting off their air supply. Afterward he rushed out to see his wife and son.

Merry, beaming, went to his wife and took her hands. "Thank you for coming home to help. I was completely useless in there. I was terrified something would go wrong."

Estella smiled, kissing his cheek. "Aye, I was happy to do it. And thank you, Sam, for coming for me. I'd have never been able to forgive myself if I hadn't been here."

Rose then entered the room, looking just as Estella had. "Best give them a bit of privacy, hm?" They all nodded their agreement, sitting down in front of the fire Sam had been building when Estella had entered.

After a few moments of silence, Merry sighed. "We're getting old, you know. I remember the day Pippin was born, and now he's a _father_." They continued this kind of talk until Pippin reappeared some fifteen minutes later. 

"Come on, come on, come see him," he said eagerly, and they all followed him back to Sam and Rose's bedroom, where Diamond was currently resting with her newborn son. They entered quietly, all taking spots on the bed, surrounding her sleeping form. Merry thought he had never felt more close to these people in his life. 

"Hold him, Merry, I want you to first," Pippin said, and Merry grinned and, taking the child from him and looking down into his peaceful sleeping face, gasped quietly.

"I know I'm getting old, Pip, and maybe my memory is slipping," he said with a smile, "but I declare he looks exactly as you did when I first held you."

No one in the room thought Pippin's grin could possibly get any wider and yet somehow, it did. "Isn't he just the most perfect thing you've ever seen?"

"What's his name, then?" Rose asked Pippin quietly. 

"Well, Merry was my first choice, of course," Pippin said, and Merry felt a surge of happiness and pride. "But of course that's the name of one of your lads, as is Frodo, our second choice. And I want it to have something to do with our journey. I feel like that's the least I can do. And so we've chosen Faramir."

"Perfect," Sam said immediately, and Merry couldn't agree more. He had nothing but positive memories of the son of the steward and felt this to be a fitting homage. Merry nodded, passing little Faramir onto his wife, who took him eagerly.

"So much has changed," he sighed, looking around at everyone. "Frodo gone, all of us married, and children running around. And the date- Pip, Sam, it's the 25th of March! Eleven years, to the day, since our quest has been completed."

Sam nodded. "I remembered, of course, though I wasn't about to mention it with all this going on."

"I'd completely forgotten," Pippin admitted. "I can't believe it. How I should like to see our friends again!"

"We may yet. We are still young," Merry reassured him. "At any rate I expect to see old Strider again. I do not know what has become of Legolas and Gimli, though I do not think they've forgotten about us entirely."

Pippin sighed. "I miss them all, to be sure, but for now I am content." He looked down to his son, now in Rose's arms, and smiled again. "For now I will remain."

"As we all will," Merry said, looking around the room at the people he loved more than anything. "As we all will."


	2. Chapter 2

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Chapter Two

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Ten Years Later

"Estella, love!" Merry Brandybuck called, bounding through the front door of Brady Hall, a much smaller hobbit right on his heels. "Estella, we're back!"

"AUNTIE!" the boy, much more impatient than his uncle, screamed down the hall. Merry burst into laughter though he knew he should scold the child for shouting. A look of satisfaction crossed Faramir's face. 

"Faramir!" Estella appeared in the hall looking concerned. Apparently she had mistaken the scream of impatience for one of pain. "Are you all right, child?" Seeing her husband and the boy in a fit of giggles, she tried her best to appear annoyed. "Don't scare me like that! I thought you were seriously hurt! And don't laugh at me, either!" It wasn't long before she was smiling herself.

"Auntie, Papa said I can stay the night!" Faramir announced in delight. Visiting Merry and Estella was one of his favorite things to do. Being that they had no children of their own, he was very much like a son to them, and they spoiled him accordingly. 

Estella cast a knowing look at Merry, who only grinned. Pippin and Diamond had in fact insisted that the boy stay the night, as they were planning a surprise party for his tenth birthday, which was to occur the next day, and were planning on decorating and preparing that night. "But your birthday is tomorrow! Don't you want to be home to get your presents from your mother and father?"

Faramir's face fell. "Papa and Mama said no party this year." He looked to be near tears.

"Tell you what," Merry jumped in before the boy could get too upset, "we'll get up early tomorrow and give you your presents from us, and we can explore all day, and then you can go home and your Mama will have cake and presents for you. It will be _better _than a party!"

Faramir immediately brightened. "Will you take me on the river?"  


Merry hesitated. Diamond had expressly forbidden Faramir from ever swimming or rowing on the Brandywine. "Yes," he finally said. "Of course!"

Before Faramir could respond, a loud knock came at the door, and Merry straightened and answered it. A fair-haired man was on his doorstep, and Merry recognized right away the symbol of the Riddermark upon his clothing. Horses stood outside the gate, as was another man.

"Master Holdwine," the man said, bowing low. Merry returned the gesture. "I am come with tidings from Eomer King of Rohan."

Merry's eyes widened. This was the first time he had heard anything of Eomer since leaving Gondor after the War of the Ring. And yet, as Master of Buckland and one of the Counsellors of the North-kingdom, his obligations came before his curiosity. "Have you permission to enter this land? King Elessar made this a free land long ago, and decreed men are not to enter it."

The man nodded. "Of course, Master Holdwine. I bear with me a message from Elessar himself as well."

"I do not mean to doubt you, horse-master. Any man of Rohan is a dear friend to me indeed, for I have seen your King through many trials, and his predecessor as well, Theoden son of Thengel. By all means, enter." The man came hastily in. "May I have your name?"

"I am Eohrin son of Ealhelm, protector of the Riddermark and one of the King's Guard," he replied proudly.

Merry nodded before turning to his wife and nephew. Faramir was looked up to his uncle in amazement, having never seen Merry operating in any such manner. "Estella, love, could you give Faramir supper in his room? Eohrin and I have pressing matters to discuss."

"Of course," Estella nodded and smiled at her husband, and swept the child away out of sight.

Satisfied, Merry turned back to face his visitor. Eohrin sat, and though Merry remained standing, they were barely at eye level. "Tell me, what news have you brought from your king?"

"He wishes to see you again," Eohrin informed him. "Almost twenty years it has been since the fall of the Dark Lord and the restoration of the King. He and King Elessar request a council with yourself and the Thain Peregrin at Minas Tirith in the coming month."

"Did he not mention Samwise?" Merry was more than delighted at the news but his thoughts automatically strayed to his friend, whose name had been left out.

"Indeed there was a mention of another Halfling whose company King Elessar is most eager to have," Eohrin reassured him. "And the Lady Eowyn, Shieldmaiden of Rohan, is also to attend, as is the dwarf Gimli son of Gloin and the elf Legolas Greenleaf, son of King Thranduil of the woodland realm. The first meeting is to take place on April the 25th in the year 1431, by the Shire Reckoning, I am told."

"All of my old friends!" Merry cried in delight. No news could possibly have pleased him more. "Indeed I will attend; I would not, in fact, miss it for anything. Do tell your King this."

"That is my errand," Eohrin said with a smile, amused at the hobbit's enthusiasm. 

"Do you need somewhere to stay the night? How long before you venture back to Rohan?" Merry inquired, remembering some of his manners and obligations. 

"Nay, my companion and I will begin our journey back this night. We ride first for Minas Tirith to deliver the news of your coming to King Elessar. Should I have him send riders to accompany you when the time comes, or will you make the journey yourself?"

"I will have my friends. We will not need any other companions," Merry said. "Thank you for bringing this news to me. It is most welcome." Eohrin only nodded before exiting. Merry watched him and his companion ride east until they disappeared onto the horizon. "Estella," he called finally.

His wife came into the room. "Has he gone? What tidings did he bring?"

"I must go to Pippin's and then to Sam's," Merry said in lieu of an explanation. "I have received good news."

"Meriadoc Brandybuck," Estella said in a hard voice. "You'll not be going anywhere until you tell me what the Man said!"

Merry laughed at his wife. "Oh, love, sometimes I am hard put to remember what drew me to you when you were but a hobbit-lass." Before she could become offended, he continued. "I have received news from both Rohan and Gondor. King Elessar is reuniting what is left of our Fellowship, as well as some other dear friends we acquired during the War. We ride for Gondor in one month."

"That is wonderful news!" Estella was happy for her husband. She knew how badly he missed his friends, how he had wished for nearly twenty years that he could see them again. "I'm glad for you, my husband. But don't be too long tonight, it's getting late." 

"I shan't," Merry smiled. He gave her a quick kiss and was out the door, hurrying along the path to Pippin's home.


End file.
